The invention is in the field of devices which use vacuum, air flow, brush and electrical charge dissipating action to remove dust and other particles and to remove static electricity from phonograph records and the like. It is particularly concerned with portable battery powered devices for doing this efficiently and inexpensively.
There are various prior art devices for cleaning phonograph records. Examples are described in Taylor, et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,005,223; 3,150,401; and 3,654,660, and a device of this type is made by VOR Industries of California under the name VAC-O-REC. These prior art devices typically have a housing into which the record is partly inserted through a record slot. The record is supported in the housing on its edge at three points and is frictionally driven for rotation at one of them. Brushes along the slot center the record, and an electrically conductive strip of foil in the housing contacts the record to dissipate electrical charge from it. An electrical motor connected to a household current outlet rotates the record and also drives a vacuum blower to pick up dust from the record and the brushes. Such prior art devices may not have sufficient versatility, low cost or ease of use in certain cases. For example, these prior art devices must be connected to a household current outlet, which limits their choice of location and makes them less convenient to move from place to place. Moreover, some types of dirt on records, such as grease or fingermarks, can not be removed effectively by these prior art devices, but must be removed by separate washing of the records. This is inconvenient, and may also result in danger if a wet record is cleaned with such prior art devices, this danger being the possibility of an electric shock at household outlet voltage. In addition, these prior art devices, so far as known to applicant, work well only with the regular size LP records since they support the record edge at three fixed points.
In view of this prior art, there is a need for a record cleaning device which is highly portable, can be used at any location and can be easily moved from place to place, a device which in many cases can clean by itself dirt, such as grease and finger marks from records, without the danger of electrical shock of the user, a device which can work well with records of the several common sizes without any resetting, a device which can effectively remove static charge, and a device with these characteristics which would be inexpensive to make and maintain and would be convenient to use. This invention is directed to providing a device meeting such needs.
One specific embodiment of the invention is a device which comprises a housing enclosing a cleaning chamber. The housing has an elongated record slot through which a record is at least partly inserted into the cleaning chamber. A pair of cleaning brushes flank the record slot along the forward part of its length. The brushes contact and engage portions of the opposite sides of the record inserted in the slot. The brushes, which can be made of foam material, can be moistened with a record cleaning solution to help clean the record. In addition, each of the brushes is easily removable for washing and can then be replaced with a fresh edge facing the record. Alternately, a new brush may be conveniently installed. A pair of jaws grip each brush but expose one of its long edges to face and contact the record. The jaws are easily removable from the housing, and from each other, to free the brush for cleaning or replacement, and easily reassemble and reconnect to the housing.
The part of the record inserted into the cleaning chamber is supported along its edge by a V-section pulley and a V-section guide. The pulley, covered with a resilient high friction material, is V-shaped in axial section, and the record edge fits in the bottom of the V. The record is supported at a second point, spaced along the record edge from the pulley, by the V-section guide. The guide and the pulley, both supported in the housing, flank the center of gravity of the record, and can support records of various sizes without any readjustment of the device. The pulley is driven by a battery powered electric motor via a drive belt to thereby rotate the record about its normal axis. The motor is in the rear of the housing, with its shaft extending transversely between the sidewalls of the housing. The same motor drives a vacuum blower, for vacuuming the record portion which is in the housing. The batteries for the motor are in the base of the housing.
The exemplary device embodying the invention has a pair of air inlets in the sidewalls of the housing, which inlets are spaced from the record slot and flank the sides of the record portion which is in the housing. Air is drawn into the cleaning chamber through the air inlets as well as perhaps through the record slot. There is an air outlet at the rear of the housing for the exiting air. The airflow created by the blower thus enters the cleaning chamber through the air inlets and perhaps the record slot, picks up dust and other particles from the record portion which is in the cleaning chamber, and exits through the air outlet at the rear of the housing.
The housing also encloses a static charge dissipating strip which is in the cleaning chamber and has a slit along part of its length to receive and contact the part of the record which is in the cleaning chamber. The strip may be a single piece of resilient, electrically conductive material such as aluminum coated resilient plastic sheet (e.g., Mylar) which is connected to a floating electrical ground to discharge static charge that may be on the record.
In operation, the battery powered motor drives the V-section pulley to rotate the record inserted in the cleaning chamber. As the record rotates, the brushes rub against, or at least contact, the respective sides of the record to remove or at least dislodge dust or other particles that may be on the record. The dust or other particles are drawn away from the brushes and the record by the air flow created by the blower, which is also driven by the same motor. Static electrical charge that may be on the record is dissipated as the record rotates by the static charge dissipating strip. The brushes, which may be made of liquid absorbing material, may be moistened, e.g., with record cleaning fluid, to help remove or dislodge particles and to help remove grease and finger marks or other such matter that may be on the record. The brushes can be conveniently removed for washing, and may be reinstalled with a different, fresh edge, facing the record, or the entire brush may be easily replaced. Since the device is battery operated it can be installed anywhere and can be conveniently moved from place to place. Moreover, there is no danger of an electric shock to the user. Because of the efficient operation of the device, the battery drain is low while the cleaning action is thorough.